Page 94 of Cohesion

“Fuck off,” Rohan snarled.

Will frowned, red spreading across his cheeks.

“Hey,” Quinn said, rapping his knuckles on the table, drawing Rohan’s attention. “You want to come at me? Fine, go for it.”He pointed at Will. “You swear at him one more time, and I’ll become the problem that you think I am.”

Rohan’s upper lip curled. “You still haven’t told me what you want. Let’s get this shit over with, so I can go back to my cosy house. The one picked out by you when you let them lock me up for something I didn’t do that I wasclearlyframed for.”

Quinn ignored the barb. He wasn’t here to discuss anything to do with whatever issues Rohan had with the law, or what had happened back then. He didn’t even know enough to sufficiently argue it with him, regardless. “Seb is missing.”

Rohan faltered, all the bravado falling from his face in an instant. “What?” he whispered.

“He was coming here for information,” Will said. “What were you going to tell him?”

Rohan glanced between them, real fear seeping into the brown eyes. His lips parted, but no words came out, all of the fight gone out of him. “Are they—did they—is he hurt?”

“Yes,” Quinn said bluntly. He tried to take a solid breath in, but there was nothing but stabbing pain in his heart. He wished he were lying. He knew he wasn’t. The lead weight pressing down on him was only getting heavier.

Rohan’s lower lip trembled. “Was it because of me?” he asked, voice small.

“No,” Will said. “It’s not, we promise. We just need your help because we’re trying to find him. We’re his partners, and wehaveto find him, do you understand? We’re hoping that you can help.”

“He wouldn’t date cops,” Rohan said automatically. He blinked. “Bothof you?”

“Rohan, what information was he coming to get from you? What did you find out for him?” Quinn asked. He wished he could be gentler. Take his time. Sebastian didn’t have that time.

“I don’t—I don’t know,” Rohan said, eyes darting between them. “He hadn’t asked me anything. I haven’t seen him in two months. He had to reschedule last month.”

“It’s okay,” Will said soothingly. He reached across the table, hand outstretched. It took barely a millisecond for Rohan to reach out and grab it, squeezing tightly, eyes wide and haunted. He’d come in here with a chip on his shoulder the size of Antarctica, but inside he was still just a twenty-five-year-old who had been in prison for too many years of his life.

He was Peyton’s age.

Quinn tried to think of Peyton in this place, wearing that outfit. Being here, surrounded by these hardened criminals, living his life here. He couldn’t. Peyton was too vibrant, full of life, taking on the world one step at a time.

When Peyton had been graduating and enlisting in the army with smiles and a bright future ahead of him, Rohan had been on trial for murdering his sister. His life had been finished the same year that Peyton’s had just begun.

“I’m sorry, I don’t even know what you’re talking about—what was he going to ask me?” Rohan asked thickly.

Quinn closed his eyes, heart dropping. This couldn’t be a dead end. It was their only lead. “There were some men recently on trial here. They wouldn’t have been in general population, but they allegedly committed suicide while they were here. We know that they were murdered. Do you know anything about it?”

“Are you accusing me of something?”

Quinn gritted his teeth. He didn’t have time for Rohan’s paranoia. “Do you?” he pressed.

“I heard about it happening,” was all Rohan said. “It wasn’t in my cell block.”

Quinn blew out a breath, trying to tamp down his temper. It wasn’t going to help him here. “Do the names Dane Howell, Errol Derrick, or Jack Sweeney mean anything to you?”

“Sweeney is in here now,” Rohan said uneasily. “He’s in with general because of overpopulation in the holding area.”

Not unusual. When that happened, extra guards were assigned to watch them, make sure nothing untoward happened that could be used against the prosecution during the case. It meant they were less likely to get away with random behaviour.

“Has he said anything to you, or anyone else, about things outside of the prison?” Quinn asked. “Movements, activities, anything at all that could be useful to us?”

Rohan tensed. “You think he had something to do with Seb going m-missing?”

“We know he did,” Will said. “He’s part of a case that Quinn and Seb were working. Quinn is the arresting officer for Sweeney, after Sweeney tried to kill him and an old lady who had nothing to do with any of this. He’s dangerous, and the man he works for is worse. That’s who has Seb. So whatever you know”—he cleared his throat, nostrils flaring as his voice broke—“please, tell us. We need to find him.”

Quinn clenched his hands against his thighs. He couldn’t reach for Will. The second he touched him, it would be over. He didn’t have time for that. Needed to be strong and keep moving.

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